KUDOS to Namibia for raising the bar high on gender based violence (GBV) by joining the 16 Days of Activism Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence – a cause for a society free from abuse of, and brutality and bloodshed against women.
Ai hene, must you already turn over the next page because my taste for N$50 words this morning is not your cup of tea? I know you already shut down the moment I said something about gender – ‘gender what again?’
Okay, since you asked the question, let me break it down for you. Do you remember all those blerrie times you have been whistling at me at that corner shop like I am a cat or a puppy? I ignored your behind because I was not going to respond to someone who was definitely equating me to an animal in the zoo.
I am also not your duif (dove), goose, cherrie, kasuko or singu.
I may have attracted your attention for all the wrong or right reasons, but I am not responsible for your thinking. So the next time you see me, please find a way to respect me as a human being who has a full name that the Ministry of Home Affairs and my church can attest to.
And what the hell does ‘hallo my size’ mean? ‘Ek’s nie jou size nie’ (I am not your size) for crying out loud. We have never measured our weights or heights like Harry Simon or The Hitman, before we determined whether we could exchange blows.
As a matter fact, since you brought up the subject of size, you must be ashamed of yourself for being a moegoe (coward) who turned out to be a puppy with tail between legs when someone your own size almost moered you the other day.
I can only find the word ‘foei’ to describe who you were in life on your tombstone, for pouncing on the weak like your kastige girlfriend who constantly needed to be ‘disciplined’ or ‘punished’ because she didn’t obey your orders.
I know some of you are shocked. “Etoo, who is she talking to?” This is just a simple scenario to show you the type of mentality that wears down our society.
I know that it’s difficult to change perceptions overnight, but the things that we take lightly, such as the way we women allow ourselves to be called or treated goes a long way to give men reason to treat us the way they do.
I know some of you still find it ‘sexy’ to be bleksemmed once in a while because that way the man proves that he loves you kama. But you don’t hurt someone you claim to love. I also know some of you mothers still teach your boys not to cry like little girls, but what you don’t realize is that you are creating two things: First, you are teaching the little guy that it’s not okay to cry, while shedding tears is a natural way to release stress. Secondly, you are teaching your little boy that girls are weak and perhaps stupid and none of their behaviour should be associated with the ‘weaker’ sex.
As human beings we love power and perhaps it goes back to our Creator who gave us, men and women, supremacy over other living things such as animals and plants.
But our purpose on earth – female and male – was to complement each other, as without the other, the one cannot function. Let’s stop gender based violence now. Otherwise, just pick your own size!
– Sorry Ngo!
By Magreth Nunuhe